Falling Slowly
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: Mikaela Jones has just met Thrax, and she's convinced that he's changed. Now she has a trial period of one month to prove it to her cousin. Can Thrax behave and show that he really is a new man... err, virus? eventual Thrax/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Ummm... no explanation. Once again, I'm explanation-less. But don't blame me. *grabs Thrax from out behind her* Blame this sexy hunk of virus. *hauls ass to Timbuktu***

**Thrax: ... *still in his robe* ... Did I miss somethin'?**

**Ozzy: Yeah. The QUEEN just ditched us so she didn't have to explain her crazy ass mind. Oh, and I guess we have to do the disclaimer thingy.**

**Thrax: ... Disclaimer? What the hell is that?**

**Ozzy: Ahh, basically just somethin' sayin' she don't technically own us so she don't get sued by the people who DO own us.**

**Thrax: Hey, yo, NOBODY owns me but ME. Dig it?**

**Ozzy: *eye roll* Yeah, well, someone created us, didn't they? So they own us. So can we get this outta the way so I can go back to watchin' the game? Super Bowl's on tonight and I just missed halftime.**

**Thrax: Ohh. Okay, uh... THIS CRAZY CHICK RIGHT HERE *points to authoress's siggy* SHE DON'T OWN US. SO LEAVE THE GAL ALONE OR SHE AIN'T GONNA WRITE NOTHIN' FOR YA NO MORE. How was that?**

**Ozzy: Well, I don't think she'd ever threaten people with not writin' no more, but I'll just assume that was you bein' an asshole and accept it. Let's beat it.**

**Thrax: Let's. *puts shades on***

***Ozzy and Thrax walk away while Michael Jackson's "Beat It" plays in the background***

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Lovely day. Not.<em>

Those three words echoed over and over again in Mikaela Jones's mind, as she stalked through the streets of Frank. This could not have been a worse day, at least so far. She doubted it would get better, and she wasn't taking on any attitude that it was. She had a broken heel, it was dark, and on top of it she'd had to walk here (_with a broken heel_) carrying her backpack and her beading case (which was too big to fit in her bag).

She had come all the way from Shane to see her cousin, who she hadn't been in touch with for the last two years, and so far she was having the worst day ever.

She knew his house wasn't too far away, but she had to stop and take a rest, and wonder why she'd even come over here in the first place. She leaned against the wall by an alley, and slid down, blowing out a breath. This sucked, it _really_ sucked. All she wanted was to see her cousin, and everywhere she turned there was more trouble.

She let her head fall down into her hands. "What am I _doing_?" she sighed, slumping her shoulders. "I should have just stayed in Shane. Nobody wants me here either. I'm useless... Ozzy probably ain't even home from work yet... I'll be all alone..." She looked up, out into the street. "But that ain't any different from every other day of my life..."

She was about to drown herself in more self-pity, in the hopes that she actually would _drown_, when she picked up a sound. It was small, barely audible, and nobody else would have heard it. Nobody else was paying attention, and nobody else was as close to this alley, where it sounded like it came from, as she was. It was a groan, the sound of somebody who was in awful pain but was sure they wouldn't be getting help anytime soon.

Mikaela stood up, grabbing her kit and slinging her bag back over her shoulder. She glanced down the alley, but didn't even see a shadow. Sucking up all the courage she had in her and all the air surrounding her, she took a few brave steps into the alley. "H-Hello? Is... Is anybody down there?"

There was another groan, more rife with agony this time. For Frank's sake, she thought, it sounded like they were _dying_. Oh... Oh Frank, what if they _were_? She had to do something...

"Hey," she called out again. "Who's there?"

There was a sharp intake of breath, and then, with all the strength the person had: "_H-Help_..."

Mikaela took a deep breath of her own, then blew it out. How did she know what was back there? She didn't. She had no idea. It could be another cell, or it _could_ be a pathogen. _Whatever_ was back there, how did she know it wasn't going to hurt her or wasn't capable of hurting her? She didn't have a clue. It could kill her, maybe, if it wanted to.

She took a few more tentative steps toward the end of the alley, the darkness. Once she was in that darkness, there wouldn't be any escape. No way of turning back, if she decided that she regretted her actions. "I-I'm coming," she called out, hoping whoever it was could hear her. "Just... Just stay where you are."

No way out. No method of going back. That imaginary line was called _the point of no return_ for a reason. There was no returning to safer thoughts.

She broke into a slow run, and crossed over into the darkness that she knew she couldn't turn away from.

She looked around for the person she'd heard, and her eyes fell on the ground where... something was lying. She couldn't quite tell what it was at first. It was crumpled up, obviously curled up in itself. A weathered black jacket, riddled with holes and filth, was covering it, as if whatever was under it was putting forth a pathetic attempt to hide itself. There was also the faint scent of stinging alcohol accompanying this scene.

Mikaela put her things down momentarily, on the wall, and knelt down by the shape. "Hello? Are you the one who was talking to me?"

The jacket shifted, and all at once she could see a face. It was reddish, and reptilian, and dangerous-looking. Two dark ocher eyes peered out at her from under a pile of violet dreadlocks that had obviously fallen out of place. They looked scared, wanting to know if they could trust her. A small nod followed a few seconds of inspection, and riding on the tail of that was a body-shattering cough.

She just looked down at the creature for a moment. She could recognize it now, as a pathogenic agent. Whether it was a bacterium or a virus, she couldn't tell that much. From its appearance, she couldn't even deduce its gender. The voice she'd heard had sounded male, and its form had a vaguely masculine appearance, but maybe she was mistaken. "I'm not going to ask if you're okay," she said slowly, "because I can see you're not. What's your name?" Maybe if she knew that much, she'd know if it was a boy or a girl. Besides, she'd hear its voice again.

The pathogen drew in a sharp breath, exactly as before, and it looked like it really hurt just to breathe. "Thrax, baby... my name's Thrax." It also seemed like it was a tremendous effort to speak.

"Thrax." Well, she could definitely tell it was male now. The voice was distinctly masculine, with an edge to it, and he'd called her "baby". She reached down, and carefully pulled away the jacket. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

By peeling the leather away, she revealed that his clothes were also torn. There were jagged pieces of fabric missing in several spots on his shirt, exposing his crimson skin, and she could see his knees through the tears in his pants.

"What happened to you, Thrax?" she asked softly, putting his jacket aside for the moment and trying to breathe through her mouth. The acrid smell of alcohol had gotten a little stronger since she'd taken the coat off him. "Looks like you got beat up pretty bad."

"So tired," he muttered. "The alcohol... don't know where I'm suppose... supposed to go... then there were... these guys... I couldn't... I tried, but I... couldn't..."

"Okay. Okay, don't talk if it hurts." She looked back at her things, and sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. What was she supposed to do? If she just left him, he'd die out here. He was already halfway there, he wasn't going to survive long enough to recover if he stayed here. But she doubted Ozzy would appreciate her bringing a virus into his house, incapacitated or not.

"I don't know what to do," she breathed, letting her hand fall back down. "My heart's saying I should take you with me, but my nucleus says my cousin's gonna shoot you on the spot if he sees you."

She touched his arm, and he grunted in pain. It looked like he was biting his lip to keep from crying out. "Oh baby, it's... it's alright... you go on now, I'ma be fine... fine, just... just like you..."

She shook her head, picking up her things. _God_. Calling her fine - was he delusional or what? "Okay, you know what? I'm through listening to my nucleus. It's gotten me in enough trouble so far." She slung her backpack over her shoulders, and hung her kit from her wrist. "Alright, here's how we're gonna do this. You're gonna sit up, and I'm gonna help you get yourself up around me."

He didn't really protest the idea, but he did have some difficulty getting his arm up around her shoulder and standing up. "You don't gotta do this, baby... I'll be okay..."

"No you won't. Now come on, up we go." She summoned all the strength in her admittedly weak body, and pulled him up onto his feet. "Alright. Alright, we're moving. This is good, we're making progress. Now, let's see..." She glanced around, and peeked out of the alley as much as she could. "We can't go out there. If we go on the sidewalk they'll see us. There's Immunity everywhere."

"Told ya we... shouldn't do it..." Thrax commented.

"Hey, no problem. I remember a shortcut to my cousin's house, through the alley system." She started walking, first to the left. "We'll be there in five minutes, and I'll get you lying down so you can rest."

"I _was_ restin'," he snorted, tossing his rumpled dreads so they hit her with a very light _thump_ against the chest. "Tryn'a sleep there..."

"Yeah? Well, you weren't doing a very good job. Now shush up, we'll be there soon."

Mikaela took a deep breath as she began to navigate, trying to remember which turns to take and how to stop if there was Immunity peeking down any of the alleys. The first priority, above all, was to get Thrax to Ozzy's house unnoticed.

Second priority... hold Ozzy back from drawing his stupid gun when he figured out that there was a virus in his sacred man cave sanctum thingy. But they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys liked it! I'm back because Ozzy and Thrax thought it would be funny to ditch ME. So I'm all alone now...<strong>

**Let that inspire you to feel sorry for me and leave a review! 'Cause I'd love that. And I'd love you! 3**

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

Luckily for both of them, Mikaela had the key to Ozzy's house in her pocket. She kind of propped Thrax against the building so she could unlock and open the door. That way, they could actually get inside. There weren't too many cells on the streets, and those who were there were too busy to pay attention to some random white blood cell girl and her virus friend.

She finally got the door open and hauled Thrax inside, breathing heavily. Supporting him for even five minutes was hard for her. He was basically dead weight, and even though he tried to walk, he couldn't fully support himself.

She shut the door with her foot and began dragging Thrax toward one of the hallways. "Okay. I don't honestly think Ozzy's had anyone over - because, hello, he's _Ozzy_. So we're gonna head to the guest room, which should be empty. Usually it's where I sleep, but I could probably take the couch or sleep on the floor in there or something."

He looked up at her, probably _just_ noticing that they were inside. "Huh...? Aw, baby... you ain't gotta... I can take the... floor... y'know..."

Mikaela rolled her eyes, trudging down the carpeted hallway. "Yeah, Thrax, I don't think so. I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor - _you're_ the one that's hurt."

He tried to shrug, though it didn't work out very well. "I don't wanna put you out, baby... that ain't fair..."

"Hey." She winked at him. "If it comes to it, I'll make Ozzy take the couch and I'll sleep in his room. I have plenty of blackmail on the boy."

She slowly opened the door to the guest room, as she knew it was right across from the bathroom, where the door had been left open. She carefully walked over with Thrax and laid him down on the bed. She lifted his legs up onto the mattress to join the rest of him, and bent down over him. He really looked awful; his eyes were closed, but just barely, ready to snap open at any second if he were threatened. But at the same time, he looked so _tired_. He probably didn't care if anyone attacked him while he was awake, just so long as he got some sleep.

She placed her hand palm-up on his forehead. Cells and pathogens could get invaded by fever too, and it felt like he had a bad one. She slid her hand down to his cheek, flipping to her palm and biting her lip. "You're burning up."

Chuckle. "I wouldn't... doubt it, baby." He reached up weakly, and pressed his hand over top of hers on his face. "Thanks, baby. You didn't... didn't hafta do this. You get in trouble 'cause of me maybe. But I... appreciate it. You a good girl, ain't you? So good." He smiled slightly. "Yeah... thank you, baby."

She giggled, shaking her head. "You have to call me that?" She drew her hand away, out from under his, and placed it on his chest to see if he was breathing alright. "Okay, good."

Thrax blinked wearily up at her. "'M I gonna survive, baby?"

She grinned, running a hand through his dark dreads. "I think you'll live." She stood up. "Now, I'm gonna go take a shower, okay?" She started toward the door. "You get some rest, you hear me? I'll be back in a little bit." She leaned her beading case against the dresser, waved at him, and then walked out of the room.

Thrax stared after her for a minute before shifting over to his left side and closing his eyes to try and sleep.

* * *

><p>When Osmosis Jones got home from work at the FPD, usually all he wanted to do was <em>relax<em>. As soon as he walked in the door, he pulled out his phone and called Leah, like he always did. He didn't want her to worry about him. "Hey baby, you there? I'm home."

"Okay, baby." He knew her well enough to be able to _see_ her smiling as she spoke. "How was your day? Any dangerous criminals?"

Ozzy laughed. "Nah, baby, not today. Not yet, at least. But my shift's over, so till tomorrow, _it ain't my problem_."

She scoffed, but she was still giggling. "Alright then. See you in the morning?"

"You know it, girl."

"Okay. Bye, Ozzy."

"Bye, Leah. Love you."

"Love you too."

He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket, before dropping down on the couch and turning the TV on. After a few minutes of watching the rerun of last night's _Frank Idol_, he got the weirdest feeling that he wasn't alone in the house. He knew his cousin, Mikaela, probably wasn't coming - she usually spent the summer with him, but since she'd been grown up for the past two years, she thought she knew everything and hadn't been coming. Leah was at home, and so was Drix - actually, no, he was probably out there partying with those Tylenol Frank had taken earlier for a headache.

Who else would be here?

He got up, drawing his gun from the holster at his hip. He then walked down the hallway to the left, to search for intruders. If some orphan cell was in here, fine - he'd help them. If some virus was in here, it was getting its ass fried.

He looked in the rec room. It was empty. Same went for the laundry room. Then he came to the guest bedroom, where the door was slightly open. He _knew_ he'd left it shut the last time he'd used it. The last time Mikaela had come to stay with him, two years ago, the summer before she entered that fancy college.

He pushed the door open farther, sneaking inside and getting ready to fire if necessary. When he got in, the first thing he saw was a shape lying on the bed. It obviously wasn't his cousin Mikaela, and even if it had been he woulda cracked her over the head with his gun anyhow. Nope, this thing was covered with a battered black coat, and when he got closer, he saw sporadically beat-up red skin and violet dreadlocks.

Thrax.

Immediately Ozzy felt anger starting to build up inside of him. What the hell was _Thrax_ doing in HIS house? More importantly, how in the HELL had he survived falling in that alcohol? He should have died on impact!

Ozzy cocked his gun and kicked at the bed. "Hey! Get up and on the floor!"

Thrax stirred in the bed, and turned over onto his back, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes. "Baby...? That... you...?"

Ozzy took one step closer so the virus could clearly see the gun in his hands. "You tell me what the hell you doin' in my house, man! I'm gonna fuckin' shoot you!"

"Whoa!" In an instant Thrax was fully awake, and was trying to inch back on the bed. "What the - huh - _Jones_?"

Ozzy's hands shook on the gun, and he wondered why he wasn't just pulling the trigger already. What was he waiting for? "I'ma ask you one more time, man! _What the hell you doin' in my house_!"

"Dude!" All of a sudden, for some _weird_ reason, there was his cousin Mikaela beside him, her hand wet and grabbing at his hands. "What are you _doin'_ in here?"

"What am _I_ doin' in here?" He glared back at her. "Girl, it's _my_ house! What _you_ doin' in here?"

"I thought I'd surprise you!"

"What's _he_ doin' in here? You ain't _know_?"

"Of course I knew! I'm the one who helped him." He noticed now that she had a towel wrapped around herself, and was holding it in place around her chest. Her hair was dripping wet and hanging in her face. "I know he's a virus, Ozzy, but-"

"_A virus_? _A VIRUS_!" Ozzy whipped his head back to stare down Thrax, who honestly looked confused out of his mind but was trying - and mostly failing - to keep his eyes off Mikaela. "He's the bastard that just about killed Frank!"

"Ozzy, he was _dying_!" Mikaela pleaded, once again reaching for her cousin's gun to talk some sense into him. "I couldn't just leave him there! He... He's not gonna hurt Frank - right, Thrax?" she persuaded, craning her neck over Ozzy's shoulder. Her eyes begged him to agree with her and _mean_ it.

Thrax nodded frantically. "We're cool! I ain't gonna do nothin', Jones, I swear! I'll be on your side, whatever, just - just _come on_!" Out of nowhere, all that effort of forcing out the energy to be convincing (because all he'd been able to do before was moan and sound whiny) must have backfired on him, because he started coughing violently, even bending over at the waist. It sounded like he couldn't breathe.

"Look what you _did_!" Mikaela pushed past Ozzy and put her hand on Thrax's chest, trying to calm him down. "He's got a fever!"

"Damn it, Mikaela, he _is_ a fever!"

She glared back at her cousin. "He said he wasn't gonna try anything! Can't you ever trust anybody?"

"Not viruses that almost killed our body!"

Mikaela turned around, after Thrax had remotely gotten his breathing back under control, and grabbed Ozzy's shoulder. "First of all, boy, you put this gun away. You are scaring everybody." She then began to drag him out of the room. She looked at Thrax. "You, stay!" She gave her cousin's shirt another yank. "And _you_ come with me to the living room! We're gonna try this thing again in fifteen minutes when I'm dressed! I was taking a damn _shower_, Ozzy, for Frank's sake!"

No sooner had she shoved Ozzy out the door than she was poking her head back in. "I'm sorry about this, Thrax. He's always been, uh... stupid. So, I'll be back with him soon and we can get this whole issue worked out, mm'kay? Just lie down!" With that, she shoved Ozzy out of the vicinity once again, as he'd tried to creep back in, and rushed out to shut the door.

Thrax stared at the door for about ten seconds, then rubbed at his head and decided that this family must be seriously jacked up, and it had to go back pretty far.

* * *

><p><strong>YOU KNOW YOU WANNA LAUGH. SO LAUGH IT UP.<strong>

**Teehee. Love this chapter. Next one's gonna be even better.**

**As always reviews are welcome... and cherished. XD Thanks for reading! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it's a little short, but I got it out! I loved writing it, but I was a little stuck as to how to get the last half of it done... which was why I didn't get it up sooner.**

**But anyway! Hopefully I'll be able to write more, I got on a bit of a Thrax kick today while I was home because I had to go for an ultrasound IN THE AFTERNOON! Needless to say because I'm in pain and kinda sorta sick... ish... he's definitely in my thoughts.**

**So, hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

><p>After fifteen minutes, Mikaela was finally dressed in decent clothes - a black tank top and blue jeans, for anyone who wanted to know - and was back in the living room, dragging Ozzy's sorry nucleus to the guest room. She was his age, but damn could she fight back. He was pulling away, telling her he could walk, but she didn't care. She kept right on dragging him down the hallway.<p>

When she opened the door, Thrax was still in bed, but now he was sitting up. He blinked a few times. "Oh, uh... hi, baby. You have a nice shower 'n' all that?"

"Stow it, Thrax, would you? You're not totally guilt-free either." She shoved Ozzy down in a chair. "_Both_ of you are acting like idiots and _men_."

"I didn't attack him or nothin'," Thrax said almost instantly.

"No, but I could tell you wanted to."

"You _see_, Mikaela? You _see_ how he gettin' all defensive already when you barely say nothin'?"

"Would you shut _up_, Jones? I'm talkin' to her - _aaaaghh_!" He bent over himself, both arms going around his stomach. "Oh Frank damn it, that _hurts_!" He looked pathetically up at Mikaela, whimpering slightly. "B-Baby, it hurts..."

"Well, that's what you get for comin' back to Frank!" Ozzy yelled, getting up from his chair. "You deserve to got shot at, man! And I swear to _Frank_ and his great-great-_great_ grandparents, I'm gonna bust your ass up if you ain't quit _makin' them eyes at my baby cousin_!"

"Both of you shut the _cell_ up!" Mikaela pushed Ozzy back into his chair, and sat on the bed by Thrax, smacking him on the back of his head. "Ozzy, you need to control your volume. I'm not a baby anymore. And you. _Ohhh_, you." She turned to Thrax and put her hand over his. "See what you get, Thrax? All worked up, and that's all it gets you is hurting."

"I'm sorry, baby..." He looked over at Ozzy, taking a deep breath. "It wasn't no cop either, Jones. It was a... a buncha germs... came outta nowhere..."

"Thought they could take you down, huh?" Mikaela ran her fingers over his hand. "'Cause you weren't strong."

Ozzy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so now the germs don't even want you here. Must really suck to be you, huh, Thrax?"

Thrax lifted his head slightly and glared at Ozzy. "You know what, Jones? You _really_ shouldn't kick me when I'm down, 'cause I swear to Frank, the second I get back _up_-"

"Both of you, knock it off." Mikaela pushed Thrax back down onto the bed, and shot a very dirty look at her cousin. "You're telling me you two can't be civil to each other for five minutes?"

"I don't _think_ so, Mikaela!"

"Ain't gonna happen, baby!"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, try. Just for five minutes, cooperate." She stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "Ozzy, he's too weak to do anything even if he wanted to. So put a lid on yourself and cool it, okay?" She looked back at the other occupant. "And _you_, would you just let it go? He insults everybody, even me."

Thrax crossed his arms from his reclined position on the bed. He certainly didn't look like he was willing to consider forgiveness anytime soon. "Why's he gotta do it when I ain't even able to hit him back? He's bein' an asshole."

"So are you, Thrax. Why don't you get some rest?" She elbowed him in the side. "I'm talkin' to _both_ of you."

"Mikaela, this just ain't a good idea," Ozzy sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I can't be keepin' a dangerous germ in my house! Are you crazy, girl? Why ain't you find your own house to keep him at?"

"Because I _suck_ at jobs! Okay?" She let her head fall forward into her hands, taking a deep breath. "I was in Shane, and I got fired from every job I had. I just don't have good skills. I forget things a lot and then I get fired." She bit her lip and moved closer on the bed to Thrax. "Come on, Ozzy. Give him a chance, _please_." She reached down and put a hand under Thrax's chin and then another on top of his dreads, then widened her eyes and stuck out her bottom lip. "How can you say no to _this_ face?"

Sensing he was expected to do something, Thrax threw all dignity out the window and pouted. He also fixed the rest of his face in a matching pitiable expression. He was really hoping it worked, because he couldn't get thrown out on the streets again. It had been his environment before, but now he was weak and it was all against him. If he got tossed out, he knew he was as good as dead.

Ozzy shook his head. "Girl..." He inhaled deeply, slowly, and then let out the breath. "Okay. Okay, you know what? Y'all..." His hands shook, and he pulled Mikaela off the bed before getting as close as he could to Thrax and sticking a finger in the virus's face. "I'm gonna pull some strings, and get you and Mikaela a job at the FPD. But I am warnin' you _right now_, man..." He shook his finger, looking as serious as Mikaela had ever known him to be. "You got _one month_. You hear me? One month to prove that you ain't lyin' to my cousin about changin'."

Thrax swallowed, and nodded. It was clear that he was nervous, having only one other time seen the white blood cell so serious. And it was that time that nearly resulted in his death, so he wasn't going to keep fucking with him. If he wanted to stay alive and most of all _free_, he couldn't continue being the way he was. He didn't necessarily have to change who he was, but he had to at least change how he treated people. "Okay... okay. I get it, Jones. I'll be good."

Ozzy slowly withdrew his hand, and took another deep breath. "You better. 'Cause if I find out you lyin' to my baby cousin..." He shook his head as he went for the door. "I swear to Frank, I'ma personally toast your ass, Thrax."

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooh, Ozzy gettin' dangerous. ALL FIRED UP! That's how I like my men, which is why I like Thrax.<strong>

**In conclusion... if you have a stray review with praise for mah storah, I'll be happy to adopt it! It shall receive a good home here...**

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

Mikaela fought with Ozzy for a while about the sleeping arrangements. She'd been in the room with Thrax for an hour or so, trying to get him to sleep and then watching him sleep (_creep in the boys' locker room much?_ was what she told herself), then went back out to find Ozzy. She'd found her cousin in the kitchen, making dinner and talking to Leah (apparently, his girlfriend) on the phone, about the current situation. It seemed that Leah was worried about Thrax being in Ozzy's house, but Ozzy told her that he'd put the virus in his place, and that he had it under control.

After a few minutes, he hung up, but then Mikaela started in on him. She told him in no uncertain terms that she didn't care what he thought, she was sleeping on the floor in the guest room with Thrax. He looked like he was too tired to argue, but he found the strength in him somewhere apparently, because he started bitching at her. He said that wasn't safe, even though she trusted Thrax, _he_ didn't. So Mikaela came right back swinging with the fact that she wasn't a kid anymore, she was an adult, and she could make her own decisions. Whether those decisions resulted in her unsafety or not wasn't any of his concern. And so then _he_ started with the whole "but we're family and we're supposed to stick together and I ain't lettin' you do somethin' that might wind up killin' you!" bit.

Finally, Ozzy somehow got all argued-out and told her she won. He just rolled his eyes at her victory dance, and mumbled something about why didn't she go stick her hand in a nerve box if she wanted to find a quicker way to death by melting. Then he proceeded to look at the dinner that was burning on the stove, shouted "_Son of a botulism!_" and muttered something about ordering out before stalking off into the living room to begin a search for the phone.

Mikaela grinned, feeling oh so victorious indeed. She got to sleep with Thrax to make sure he was okay through the night, _and_ she got take-out on her first night back with her cousin in Frank. Sco-o-o-o-ore.

She hurried back to the guest room; surprise, surprise, Thrax was awake again and _still_ not resting. He'd propped himself up a little bit on the pillows, and was flipping through the channels on the TV. He didn't even have the remote in his hand; he was using that big claw to push the buttons. Lazy.

"And what do you think _you're_ doing?" she called as she closed the door. She tried to look a little intimidating by putting her hands on her hips, but she just couldn't make an angry face at him. Not when he was like this. She grabbed the remote and held it behind her back so he couldn't get to it. "I don't think so. You were asleep when I left you. You need to be resting, not watching _The Young and the Cellulose_."

Thrax rolled his eyes at her, sinking down into the bed so he was lying more than sitting up. "Like I'd ever watch a soap opera. They're so stupid. I mean, what's the point of some cat saying his baby mama's name over and over in Spanish?"

She snickered. Okay, he was pretty funny, she'd give him that. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to knock you down a peg or two, since you're supposed to be _resting_." She glanced at the TV. "What were you watching, anyway?"

"I was lookin' for _Why Am I Still Dividing By Myself?_, but I guess it ain't on right now. You ever seen it?"

"Yeah, a few times. It's okay."

"_Okay?_ Well, what do you usually watch?"

"I like _Restaurant Unflossable_."

"Oh? I never seen that."

"It's on the Teeth Channel. The guy is funny, he's always yelling at the restaurant owners 'cause they don't do things right."

"Huh." He chuckled. "Might have to watch you-" He shook his head, blinking rapidly. "No, I, uh, I mean - I mean watch _it_ with _you_... some... time... yeah."

She raised an eyebrow, then giggled. "Weirdo." She clicked the power button on the remote, turning the screen off. "Get your rest. You're never gonna get better if you don't give yourself a little downtime."

He shook his head and sighed, stubborn again. "You know how hard it is for me to relax, baby? For _any_ germs to relax?" He ran his left hand through his dreads. "You always gotta worry about gettin' caught. Can't never let your guard down... 'cause if you do, you gonna be a little puddle of nastiness before ya know it."

Mikaela drew her eyebrows together, then sat down on the bed beside where his waist probably was. "Hey. You don't have to worry around here. You're safe - nobody's gonna come after you."

Thrax snorted lightly. "Yeah. Like I really feel safe in the same house as Jones. He's a cop, _and_ he hates my sorry capsid."

"I won't let him do anything to you. He told you like it was, you got some time to prove you're not all bad-"

"And if I don't, I get my ass toasted, and there goes the possibility of a legacy." He rolled his eyes. "He ain't gonna wanna believe that I changed." He let his head fall forward, into his hand, and exhaled deeply. "I know it ain't been that long... but I changed. I used to work the streets - knew everything there was. Everyone was afraid of me. But now that I'm down, it's like... all that got shook upside down. The streets ain't my friend no more... everyone turned on me." He glanced up at her from the corner of his eye. "All I can tell ya, baby, it ain't a good place out there."

Mikaela reached over and put her hand on his shoulder, then rubbed slowly, going down his arm. "You been through a lot, Thrax... ain't you?" She leaned down and put her head against his chest, letting out a breath herself. "I don't really know what I can say other than that sucks. But it's gonna get better, you know? You're with us... you're on the right side now. You're gonna work with the force, and it's all gonna get better. You're gonna be a lot happier now, I know it."

She felt him laugh a little, but there was a slight bitter note to it. She felt his hand on her back, and thanks to that longer claw she could tell it was his left hand. "Yeah, I guess. I'm just... a little scared, you know? I can admit it. I don't wanna fall back to the old me. It ain't been that long, and I could snap back... I don't wanna."

"It'll be hard." She wrapped her arm around his waist and squeezed. "But I know you can do it. Even if nobody else does, _I_ believe in you." She sat up, keeping a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Later I'll put Ozzy in a headlock, and I won't let him go till he believes in you too."

That got a smile from him. "Good luck. You'll probably be there till Frank dies."

"Ohhh, don't be so negative." She shrugged. "Besides, he said something about getting Chinese food tonight, so be nice to him. You can handle eating, right? Or do you just want something to drink?"

"Nah, I think I'll be okay, baby."

"Okay. So I'll help you out there when he calls us." She saw her stuff cluttering up at the side of the bed, so she sighed and got up to move it over against the wall. "Can't believe I didn't think about this..."

"What you got over there, anyway?"

"My backpack and my giant beading case."

"Hmm." After watching her for a few more seconds, Thrax turned over onto his side, groaning as he did so. "Hope you're happy, baby, I'm _sleepin'_."


	5. Chapter 5

**WELL!**

**Sorry I've been gone for a while, but I had surgery about five days ago. Doing better though, except for the lingering pain of my stitches. I'm off school though! Got a buttload of make-up work sitting in my backpack that I've supposed to have been doing while I was recovering, but I'll get it done... somehow...**

**I actually had this done BEFORE my surgery, but I was nervous and everytime I thought about posting it, I was distracted by something else. Sorry! But here's this chapter.**

**Hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

><p>It was a chore getting Thrax into the kitchen to eat once the food arrived, but somehow Mikaela found a way to do it. She got him propped up in the chair, and he could sit relatively straight. He was still hunching over the table a little though, thanks to the pain in his side.<p>

Apparently being shot certainly hadn't hindered his appetite any. Granted, he probably hadn't eaten in a while either, but he didn't have to be so messy. She had to nudge his shoulder a few times to make him slow down, mumbling that if he didn't he was gonna choke. She was actually surprised at how fast he ate, his condition being what it was.

Once they were all done, Ozzy dumped all the dishes in the sink and started putting the leftovers in the fridge. "Y'all can go anytime now," he muttered, grabbing another container. "You know, 'cause I gotta call Leah again. You know, my girl that Thrax just about traumatized? Yeah. There's gonna be some drama, and y'all don't need drama. Way too much drama goin' on in this house already, Frank damn it..."

Mikaela just shook her head at her rambling cousin. "Alright, we'll just ignore him, okay, Thrax? He's just mad 'cause for once, _I win_. You ready to get back to bed?"

"Yeah, baby." He gripped the edge of the table and pushed down on it - rather forcefully, if the wild shaking his hand displayed was any indication. "I think I can get there by myself, now that I got some food in me."

"Are you sure, Thrax?" Mikaela bit her lip as she watched him get up, stumble a little, and regain his balance by just barely getting a hold of the table again. "You look like you're still a little-"

"I said I can do it, baby," he insisted. "I'm good now. Trust me."

"Well... okay. I'm gonna start ahead, you just shout if you start needing my help."

"Check that."

She gave one last glance, then took a few steps until she was in the living room. She stopped to lean over the couch and look at the TV, which was announcing a new episode of _Frank Idol_ tomorrow night. Maybe she'd have to watch that sometime-

_Thump._

Mikaela spun around, and immediately felt like slapping Thrax. He was on his stomach, his legs still in the kitchen, the rest of him on the carpet. Ozzy was peering over the refrigerator door, and his face clearly said he thought the virus was _pretty_ stupid right now.

"Ugh, _Thrax_." Mikaela stalked over and got to her knees beside him, giving his visible cheek a few light taps with her palm. "I told you so! Wake up, come on. You can't sleep like that."

After a few seconds, his gold eyes fluttered open. A moment passed of him just staring into space before he finally focused on her and lifted his head. "... Baby?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah?"

"... I, uh... I only made it to the floor, didn't I?"

She giggled. "Yup. Let's get you back to bed before you pass out." She carefully slid her arm under his chest, slinging his arm around her shoulder. She pulled him up, sucking in a breath. "Come on, baby, you gotta help me out a little here."

She felt Thrax rest his head against her shoulder, and he chuckled. "Oh, so you callin' _me_ 'baby' now, huh? I ain't said you could do that... heh... but hey, I don't mind."

* * *

><p>Mikaela turned around from the computer to check how Thrax was doing. She'd let him have the TV on for a while, and she still heard it, so she was about to tell him that it was getting late and he really ought to get some more sleep so he would be okay to walk tomorrow.<p>

When she rotated herself and looked over, she was surprised to see that he was fast asleep. He was lying on his stomach, one arm around his waist, and the other hand (his left) on the pillow. He was also snoring - probably nothing compared to Ozzy, but she wouldn't have expected it from him.

She got up and walked over to him, staring down at him for a minute. He definitely looked like he _still_ needed sleep, and she noticed that he never quite looked relaxed even when he was sleeping. He still looked like everything was troubling him, like he wanted to just be _done_ with the world.

Carefully, she pulled the blanket over his body and lightly tucked it in around his neck and shoulders. "Goodnight, Thrax," she murmured, hesitantly running her fingers through his dreads. "You better not have any nightmares - you hear me? You got enough to worry about."

She chuckled and turned away, opening the door. She walked out, leaving the door open, and found Ozzy sitting on the couch, looking through a folder.

She swallowed, then leaned over the back of the couch, resting her head on his shoulder. "Hey Ozzy. It's getting pretty late - you going to bed soon?"

"Gotta get this case report finished," he sighed, jotting something else down on the paper. "Then I'm gonna give Leah another call and get some sleep."

"I'm probably going now," she told him, nuzzling his cheek. "Thrax is already in there all zonked out."

Ozzy offered a mirthless chuckle. "Don't surprise me. From what he told us I guess life ain't been what he's used to. He got shot, for Frank's sake, I ain't surprised he's tired."

"Yeah. I hope he feels better in the morning so he can go to the station with us. The sooner the Chief meets him, the better."

"I guess."

Mikaela sighed, closing her eyes. "Ozzy, I know you don't like Thrax being here. I know you're just trying to be rational and stuff and protect your family and Frank. So it... really means a lot to me that you're giving him a chance."

Ozzy returned with a sigh of his own. "Yeah. Well, I figure I oughta give him a shot." He reached up and ran a hand through her hair. "You remember my mom?"

"Yeah. She was great."

"She was. She always told me, everyone deserves a second chance. And I guess that means viruses too. Even big ole nasty ones like Thrax."

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey, he's not that bad, I promise. He's just a softie."

"Yeah yeah, I'll believe it when I see it, Mikaela."

"Did I ever tell you that you're the best cousin ever?"

"I think you mentioned it a couple times." He tugged on her ponytail. "Now get yourself to bed, girl, or I'ma smack the cytoplasm offa you."

"Got it. See you in the morning. And don't _you_ stay up too late either."

"Yeah yeah. Goodnight."

Mikaela grinned before nuzzling his cheek again and flouncing back to the guest room to get some shut-eye.

* * *

><p><strong>Hehe. The whole "I only made it to the floor, didn't I?" bit was something I had in my original story, before I decided to rewrite it here. And I thought it was clever, especially for me to have come up with like what, three years ago? So I just had to use it here. It was funny, no?<strong>

**Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading! ^^**


End file.
